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Titleless
|recorded start = November 2016 |recorded end = March 2017 |genre = Dream pop · electronica · electro pop |length = 41:33 |label = Interscope |producer = Jisoo · Joel Little · Elohim |single 1 = No Better |single 1 released = |single 2 = Team |single 2 released = |single 3 = Yellow Flicker Beat |single 3 released = |single 4 = 400 Lux |single 4 released = |next = Illusion |next link = Illusion |next year = 2018 }} Titleless (stylized in all lowercase) is the debut studio album by Korean-Ukrainian singer-songwriter Jisoo, which was released through Interscope Records on 16 June 2017. Following her departure from the girl group IV, Jisoo was paired with Joel Little, who assisted with the album's songwriting and production. Recording took place from November 2016 to March 2017. Pure Heroine has been described as a dream pop, electronica and electropop album with minimalist production, deep bass and programmed beats. The album received positive reviews from most critics, many of whom praised its songwriting, production, and Jisoo’s vocal delivery. It appeared on several year-end critics' lists, and was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. Titleless deals with themes of youth and critiques mainstream culture, exploring wealth, fame, consumer culture, mental illness and social status. Jisoo promoted the album with many television performances, award shows and also in her first headlining tour, Titleless World Tour from September 2017 to January 2018. The first two singles "No Better" and "Team" gained critical and commercial success, peaking number three and one on the US Billboard Hot 100 respectively. They were followed by "Yellow Flicker Beat" and "400 Lux". The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart with 177,000 album-equivalent units, of which 129,000 were pure sales. Titleless was one of 2017's best-selling albums. It was certified gold in the United Kingdom and double platinum the United States. Background and development Since she was 13, Jisoo has written several songs, that later served as demo material for Titleless. While signed to YG Entertainment, she wasn’t allowed to write her own music, she stated "..if they saw a notebook with lyrics they would take it immediately. It wasn’t hell in any mean, but they wasted so many good songs, including mine. ... I had all of my songs on my Mac, so when I was home for the weekends I would lock up, produce and record songs on my own. This pretty much continued even throughout my career." In 2015, YG Entertainment signed a deal with Interscope Records. Interscope Records Officials wanted to see and develop sound and artistic vision of IV members, making them prepare few songs to play. After the listening sessions, Interscope advised on pairing Jisoo with some other songwriters, however YG Entertainment rejected the offer and pushed her as a group member. Following her departure from the girl group IV in September 2016, Jisoo was resigned with Interscope Records once again. She was eventually paired with New Zealand writer and producer Joel Little, and their working relationship clicked almost immediately. Recording of the album was overseen by Jisoo and Little, and was described by Maclachlan as a fairly-short process; most of what Jisoo played for him ended up on the album. Jisoo wanted to write her own music, and the album's content was co-written with Little. Eleven songs were included in the album's final track listing, with seven or eight tracks not making the cut. Choosing songs to include on the final track listing, Jisoo and Little decided to keep it at eleven to avoid "filler material." Music and lyrics (left) and Lana Del Rey (right).]] Jisoo's vocals on Titleless have been noted for her range and powerful delivery. She said that she felt it essential for her voice to be the album's focus, since she was unfamiliar with playing instruments. The A.V. Club editor Kevin McFarland called the singer's voice the "alpha and omega of her talent. ... Her voice isn't booming or overpowering, but rather mystifying and alluring, both floating on its own in a sea of reverb and digital blips and awash in an army of chorused overdubs." According to PopMatters's Evan Sawdey described Jisoo's vocals as being "unique and powerfully intriguing", while Billboard noted her vocals for being "smoky and restrained". The album is built around Jisoo's and Little's production, which incorporates deep bass, loops, and programmed beats. During its recording, Jisoo said that she "didn't really have a specific sound in mind". Several publications noted its minimalist production, and compared its arrangements to singers such as Robyn and Santigold. Titleless has been described by critics as an electronica, dream pop, and electropop album. It deals with youth and critiques mainstream culture, exploring wealth, fame, consumer culture, mental illness and social status. Classic teen-pop themes such as social anxiety, romance, and "adolescent aggrievance and angst" are also present on the album. According to NME, its lyrics indicate that Jisoo is "bored". In an interview with the magazine, she said that she used words of inclusion (such as "we" and "us") throughout the album. The singer's lyrics detail "the mundanity of teenage life" and celebrate the "often ignored intelligence of the next generation." Jisoo also uses metaphors involving teeth, describing the "Hollywood smile", which several publications related to social class structures and economic inequality. In an analysis piece from i-D, writer Wendy Syfret states that Titleless presented suburban dreams and a realistic teenage life, saying the record is "perhaps the most direct and eloquent statement about the eternal teen juxtaposition of wanting it all, feeling desperate to grow up and start life, but knowing deep down that to leave this stage is to make an exit you can never undo." Songs Tracks 1–5 The album's opening track, "Tennis Court", addresses Jisoo's new fame and criticises the "high life." Described by critics as a downtempo hip hop and EDM-influenced alternative pop, art pop and electropop song, it uses synthesisers and electronic pulses in its arrangement. Little and Jisoo first wrote the music and beat, and the lyrics were written later. Nick Messtite of Forbes compared the track to the Postal Service's 2003 song "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight". "400 Lux" (named for the brightness of a sunset) was interpreted by critics as the album's first love song, with lyrics detailing suburban life. Lipshutz of Billboard described its instrumentation as "over canyon-sized bass and popping percussion". Jisoo wrote the lyrics to "Royals" in half an hour, and recorded the song within a week during a school break. She was inspired after seeing a photo by Ted Spiegel in the July 1976 issue of National Geographic of Kansas City Royals player George Brett signing baseballs, with his team name (Royals) emblazoned across his shirt. Jisoo cited her fear of ageing and a party she threw at her house while her parents were away as the main inspirations behind "Ribs", described by critics as a deep house-influenced electronica and electropop song. "Buzzcut Season", influenced by tropical music, has "light percussive snaps" and "trickling xylophone" instrumentation. Its lyrics, describing the "ridiculousness of modern life", include themes of refuge and reassurance. Tracks 6–10 The album's sixth song, "Team", is a hybrid alternative pop and electro-hop song which features synthesiser, bass, and snare drum instrumentation over a handclap-based beat. Written when Lorde was traveling the world, the song was a "tribute to her friends and country". Lily Rothman wrote for Time that the lyrics "we sure know how to run things" in "Team" were a response to "We run things, things don't run we" from Miley Cyrus' "We Can't Stop" (2013). The next song, "No Better" is an electropop and trip hop ballad with elements of hip hop, in which Jisoo discusses an infatuation. "Skinny Legs" is an indie electronic song about Jisoo's battle with mental illness. The song is most likely about an eating disorder or addiction, as the narrator describes her struggle to resist harmful habits. In "Precious Metals" Jisoo sings about her fame and addiction to “glamorous life”. "Yellow Flicker Beat" is an art pop and electropop song with an electronic production with minimal synthesisers and rattling drums in its instrumentation. "A World Alone", the album's closing track, was described as a "dark disco diamond". It begins with a "lonely guitar note" before transitioning into a "roaring dance beat". The song's final line, "Let 'em talk", was cited by critics as a call and response to the album's opening line, "Don't you think that its boring how people talk?" in "Tennis Court". Singles "No Better" was released as the album's lead single commercially worldwide on January 20, 2017, through digital distribution. The song was critically acclaimed with reviewers complimenting its electropop and trip hop ballad with elements of hip hop nature. It achieved commercial success by topping charts in Iceland, the Republic of Ireland, Lebanon and the Netherlands. "Team" was released as the second single from the album. The song was critically acclaimed by critics who praised its catchy production and "club-ready" atmosphere. The single achieved greater success than "No Better" by topping the charts in almost all the countries it was released to. "Team" became Jisoo's first number one single on the Hot 100. "Yellow Flicker Beat" was announced as the third single from the album. The song was well received by music critics, who praised its lyrical content for being more mature than that of Jisoo's previous releases. Commercially, the song was a success as well, reaching top 10 in 22 countries. "400 Lux" was released to modern rock and contemporary hit radio stations on September 1, 2017, as the fourth and final single. It debuted at number 90 on the Hot 100 and peaked at number 11, becoming the only single from the album to not reach the top ten. Promotional singles A promotional single, "Skinny Legs", was released on February 10, 2017,. The song debuted at number 84 on the Billboard Hot 100 and later peaked at number 28. Track listing Certifications